2020 Analogue System

With the new year just around the corner, I’m finally sharing more details about my 2020 analogue system. This will be my fourth year of establishing a set of analogue tools to use for the year, but I’m just as excited as the first year to dive into these notebooks!

Work

I chose Kokuyo’s Jibun Techo in A5 slim for my main work planner. As you may be able to see from the second picture, I’m ignoring the hour-by-hour schedule format altogether - instead, I’m using each “block” (for example, the 7 AM to 12 PM block) for one type of work project, and so on. I’m using a very simple key to keep track of tasks and moving them around as I see fit. This particular size is roomy enough that I can write down all I need, but its slim profile allows me to carry it around with ease. The planner doesn’t feel heavy in my hands, which is a big plus when I’m carrying it to work for most of the week.

As its companion, I’m using a Field Notes notebook from their Coastal lineup (spring 2018 quarterly limited edition). I have a few packs of Field Notes in different designs that I’ve purchased over the years - they’ve formed a lovely collection in my drawers, but I was always too afraid to break them open in fear of… I don’t know what. I finally told myself to stop overthinking it - they’re notebooks! They’re meant to be written in! - and am now using one of these as a brain dump / idea notebook. It’s a perfect fit for my pen case and adds hardly any weight to my everyday carry. I can easily take notes on the go or brainstorm future content ideas.

Memory-keeping

I’ll be using Midori’s MD Diary in B6 slim for decorative weekly memory-keeping. I used to do this in the Traveler’s Company weekly vertical insert, but I found the regular size to be a bit too large towards the last few pages. This particular B6 slim size by Midori is smaller than the standard B6 slim size, and I’m used to it already from having used it in 2019 as a work planner.

I’ll be starting this notebook for the first time during the week of Christmas, since right now I’m mainly working in a passport traveler’s notebook for daily journaling in December (also known as December Daily). I’m excited to experiment with smaller stamps, layering bits and pieces of paper, and keeping my writing concise. My hope is to share this journal with you on a regular basis along with my Jibun Techo weekly spreads.

Travel, Art, Etc.

For other creative journaling, I’ll be once again returning to Traveler’s Notebooks. They have been a staple in my analogue journey since I began in 2017, and because of my love for their simple designs, I have acquired quite a few since then. I’m not going to use all of them at the same time, but I also don’t have a particular plan of when to use which one. Right now, I’m using the blue passport TN the most for December Daily as previously mentioned, and the camel passport TN as an everyday wallet. My two regular TNs - olive and brown To & Fro - house a junk journal insert and a Korean hanji paper journal, respectively, though I haven’t reached for those too much since I started December Daily.

I don’t have any specific travel plans for 2020, but if any trips come up, one of these TNs will come with me for sure! TNs are where I go when I want to create freely, so I never establish too much structure around when or how I use them. I group them in my mind as one type of notebook - maybe it’s just an excuse so that I can enjoy all of the covers separately without feeling guilty - and go with the flow.

Covers & Accessories

Looking at my setup altogether, I can definitely tell I’m all about natural leather. I love the fact that natural leather truly shows the passage of time, and reflects your own life through its wear and tear. It can be scary at first to use unconditioned and untreated leather in everyday life, but I quickly move on to using it comfortably (especially after seeing that first inevitable scratch or mark).

My Jibun Techo is housed in a Baum-kuchen x The Superior Labor cover, which goes in and out of my backpack multiple times a day during the workweek. The MD Diary sits in a Midori goat leather cover, which I had embossed by Baum-kuchen. I used this cover before and then decided to give it a rest in favor of other styles; now, I’m looking forward to having this well-worn cover back in my rotation. Last but not least is the beautiful Wonder Pens x The Superior Labor pen and wallet case, which I have talked about in a previous blog post. I still enjoy carrying this case on a daily basis - and with Field Notes fitting inside so perfectly, it works even better.

This annual journey of choosing which notebooks to use for the following year has become almost like a personal ritual to so many of us in this community. It brings so many of us joy to think about switching things up, considering different options, purchasing new covers, and configuring our setups. 2019 was the first year I stuck with one planner and fairly similar notebooks for almost the entire year - let’s see how 2020 goes! I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and an early happy New Year. Thanks for reading!

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